Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by katie_the_reader
A Flame Forged in Mist by Samara Saward
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I didn’t really know how to write a review for this ARC because I couldn’t put it down but I also found myself frustrated with it.
First up, the premise is perfect. Mortal farm girl Ever and her bestie/adopted sister Erryn are taken to the northern land of the mystics to try and survive 7 deadly trials to secure a place as one of the Ten - a new mortal squad to work for the mystics and in return receive magic.
The story has everything you want, trials, magic, mysterious kingdoms, unknown backstories, a Fourth Wing-esque military academy, found family and of course a brooding, royal, hot-as-fuck commander.
I loved the plot, the characters and the world, and I’ll definitely keep up with the sequel, but I did have some issues with the book.
It felt like the author couldn’t decide if the training school/commanders were brutal or bantery. One minute they’re not batting an eyelid at them dying or threatening people who step out of line, then the next minute they’re cracking jokes and treating them to nights at the pub. It was just a weird dynamic.
Then there were some moments that just needed sooooo much more time put into them. The book is only 300 and something pages so for a fantasy it’s on the shorter side - so there was definitely room for more development. There would be scenes where the characters would just LEAP into something that felt really inauthentic and I found that really cringey. For example, if a commander and a new recruit have had a grand total of like 3 conversations, there shouldn’t be really deep and intense declarations, it just made it feel kinda creepy at points because he would just get really intense out of nowhere. It reminds me of that meme “what happened to hello? Good morning?” Cos like damn dude how are you this obsessed with someone you’ve spoken 24 words to in total.
Anyway, this is a solid story, but a sometimes disappointing book if that makes any sense. I reeaaaaaallly wanna know what happens next but I hope the follow ups have a few more pages and more of a chance for the characters and plot to develop a little more
First up, the premise is perfect. Mortal farm girl Ever and her bestie/adopted sister Erryn are taken to the northern land of the mystics to try and survive 7 deadly trials to secure a place as one of the Ten - a new mortal squad to work for the mystics and in return receive magic.
The story has everything you want, trials, magic, mysterious kingdoms, unknown backstories, a Fourth Wing-esque military academy, found family and of course a brooding, royal, hot-as-fuck commander.
I loved the plot, the characters and the world, and I’ll definitely keep up with the sequel, but I did have some issues with the book.
It felt like the author couldn’t decide if the training school/commanders were brutal or bantery. One minute they’re not batting an eyelid at them dying or threatening people who step out of line, then the next minute they’re cracking jokes and treating them to nights at the pub. It was just a weird dynamic.
Then there were some moments that just needed sooooo much more time put into them. The book is only 300 and something pages so for a fantasy it’s on the shorter side - so there was definitely room for more development. There would be scenes where the characters would just LEAP into something that felt really inauthentic and I found that really cringey. For example, if a commander and a new recruit have had a grand total of like 3 conversations, there shouldn’t be really deep and intense declarations, it just made it feel kinda creepy at points because he would just get really intense out of nowhere. It reminds me of that meme “what happened to hello? Good morning?” Cos like damn dude how are you this obsessed with someone you’ve spoken 24 words to in total.
Anyway, this is a solid story, but a sometimes disappointing book if that makes any sense. I reeaaaaaallly wanna know what happens next but I hope the follow ups have a few more pages and more of a chance for the characters and plot to develop a little more